Red Scarf Girl

A Memoir Of The Cultural Revolution

Publishers Weekly Best Book * ALA Best Book for Young Adults * ALA Notable Children's Book * ALA Booklist Editors' Choice

Moving, honest, and deeply personal, Red Scarf Girl is the incredible true story of one girl's courage and determination during one of the most terrifying eras of the twentieth century.

It's 1966, and twelve-year-old Ji-li Jiang has everything a girl could want: brains, popularity, and a bright future in Communist China. But it's also the year that China's leader, Mao Ze-dong, launches the Cultural Revolution--and Ji-li's world begins to fall apart. Over the next few years, people who were once her friends and neighbors turn on her and her family, forcing them to live in constant terror of arrest. And when Ji-li's father is finally imprisoned, she faces the most difficult dilemma of her life.

Written in an accessible and engaging style, this page-turning autobiography will appeal to readers of all ages, and it includes a detailed glossary and a pronunciation guide.

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While reading this account of a young Chinese girl living in the '60s, during the Cultural Revolution, you can only gasp at the similarities between this social and political atmosphere and that described in the fictional dictatorship of George Orwell in his classic novel '1984'. Old traditions, objects, or even friendship and kinship with people with 'questionable morals' are outlawed and punished without trial with humiliation, torture, and even death. Children are no exception, but worst, they are brainwashed by a young generation of communist leaders called the Red Guard...

Since I read this book when I was in the sixth grade, I gave my rating accordingly for sixth grade readers. In addition to the comment on March 23 by Chiung-Hsi Lin, Ji-Li Jiang does a remarkable job illustrating the diverse experiences in China during the cultural revolution. Because the book is through the eyes of a 12 year old girl, readers can easily understand and empathize with her emotions, thought processes, and gain an introductory understanding of how the Cultural Revolution affected so many of its people.

If you're looking for a book to introduce you to the time period, Cultural Revolution, or Asian history, this would be a great place to start for personal reading.

The review above is so random. A hen? WTF! This is one of my favorite books of all time. I remember reading it when I was little and loving it. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested about the Cultural Revolution in China, because it depicts it through the innocent eyes of a young girl who doesn't quite understand or accept the changes occuring around around her.

Summary

Quotes

"...As soon as I said it, I realized that I had made my promise to them--to everyone in my family--long ago. I had promised during the days that Grandma and I had hidden in the park; I had promised when I had not testified against Dad; I had promised when I had hidden the letter. I would never do anything to hurt my family, and I would do everything I could to take care of them. My family was too precious to forget, and too rare to replace..." (p. 262-263)